Birch Tree-2 questions

harelip dog

1st

I have an area that holds water in the yard. I'm planning on a river birch to help soak up the water.

After excavating and building a wall of concrete bags, I learned that Birches like acidic soil. I don 't think the concrete bags will help that situation.

I will wait til fall to plant, hoping the concrete hardens and doesn't leach lime.

Can I amend the soil to a point that the birch will do ok? Any other suggestions?

2nd

After building the wall, we started digging a hole in the tree the tree will go.

There is a huge rock underneath. I have a jack hammer and will excavate as much rock as is necessary.

Will a 6'-8' hole be sufficient for a birch?

You can see why I do better with milled lumber than live trees.

Thanks Mark

Brent Ferris

There are very few trees that will grow in water all the time. Eastern larch (Larix laricina) and Speckled Alder (Alnus rugosa) will tolerate the low oxygen conditions found with these conditions, Eastern Larch will not tolerate the heat of your climate, but European Larch (Larix decidua) may. Common Baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) will also grow in these conditions,
River Birch (Betula nigra), Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) and even Willows (Salix sp) grow near the water, and in moist soils, but not in water, and River Birch and Honey Locust can tolerate periods of flooding, but not continuous water.

Trees may be essentially water pumps, but they also need oxygen, and ponded water won't support the tree or its survival - except for very specific trees in very specific conditions.

Assuming you are able to get a tree to grow, there is no need to remove the rock, the tree roots will grow around the obstacle.

I presume draining the water away is not an option? Nor is raising the grade or changing the level of the water table?

Hope this info helps,

__________________
My business: Tree Pruning and Removals -- Strump Removals -- Advice -- Consulting -- Arborist Reports
If you want an honest opinion, call Brent Ferris...because, Trees want to Live Too !
We do great jobs, even in small yards.

Free Estimates Oakville to Oshawa - North to Bradford (Will travel further if cost of travelling covered)

harelip dog

As usual I was unclear. This is not a ponding situation, the ground stays damp.

The rock is about 8" under the soil, and so far it is at least 12'x8'.

Thanks

Mark

Brent Ferris

I still wouldn't worry about the rock -- as far as breaking it up for the tree. It might be beneficial to punch holes thru it (depending on thickness) to relieve the dampness. If there are no plants in the area yet, adding more soil might be a viable option., and creating a flow of water thru the area/
Unfortunately, damp all the time often means stagnant water in the soil, relating to the presence of anaerobic bacteria, low oxygen levels and poor growth to no survival of most trees -- even those that can tolerate these conditions,. Trees that grow well in moist soils (stream banks) have a steady supply of oxygenated water, and they can extract the oxygen from the water or watery soil. Damp all the time doesn't have the oxygen present or replenished,. Drilling a number of holes in the soil and putting in a mixture that allows oxygen exchange may also be beneficial. What kind of soil do you have?

__________________
My business: Tree Pruning and Removals -- Strump Removals -- Advice -- Consulting -- Arborist Reports
If you want an honest opinion, call Brent Ferris...because, Trees want to Live Too !
We do great jobs, even in small yards.

Free Estimates Oakville to Oshawa - North to Bradford (Will travel further if cost of travelling covered)